


Fires Within and Without

by TheWritersCottage



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Firefighter!Aang, Firefighter!Zuko, Idiots in Love, Kataang - Freeform, M/M, Pining, Pining Zuko, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Zukaang - Freeform, Zutaraaang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:15:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27924391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWritersCottage/pseuds/TheWritersCottage
Summary: Zuko wants Aang, his lifelong friend, and the bravest man he knows. They work side by side, risking their lives to save others from disastrous fires. One perilous day, they save each other, and only barely. Seeing Aang die breaks the dam that held Zuko's feelings close.Aang is married to Katara, the love of his life, his home, his shelter. He loves her more than he loves life itself.Even so, he loves Zuko just as much, which is why he risks mortal danger to save him.And so begins a journey of discovery. Together, Aang, Zuko and Katara navigate the labyrinth of feelings they're faced with, and the most unexpected outcomes begin to unfold.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Aang/Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lliyk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lliyk/gifts).



> This story is for my lovely Chy -- aka, Lliyk. She's been a pillar of support and a constant source of laughter and good times in an otherwise hellish reality that should be breaking me in half. This is for you, my dear.

_Aang…_

He thought desperately as he worked his fist over his length at a luxurious pace -- taking his time.

Next to him lay his calendar open to a picture of said man with his shirt off, the long expanse of his muscled stomach plain for Zuko to imagine above him. Nevermind the adorable kitten perched on his shoulder, though that only made Zuko love him more. 

He imagined what it might feel like to replace his hand with Aang’s body, like he’d imagined so many times before. He was too consumed by his desire to feel ashamed -- at least not yet. Shame would come later, along with his eventual release.

He imagines what Aang would taste like. Would the embers of burning buildings linger on his tongue the way Zuko imagined they did on his own? Would he hear the siren of the fire truck ringing in his ears when Aang moaned? Because he _would_ moan, Zuko would be certain of it. He’d use every wicked trick he knew to draw out any forbidden sound from his plush lips.

Gods, he was so close.

He picked up the pace of his strokes, his head tipping back on his pillow, his hips bucking into his hand. He lets himself imagine Aang in all his glory, screaming his name, telling him how good he feels, telling him _he loves him._

 _“Aang!”_ He cries out to the empty room, the low tenor of his voice echoing back in a whisper.

Stars. White, blinding stars pop behind his lids as his climax rocks him to his core. He shudders as his orgasm spills over his stomach, and he screws his eyes shut as he growls his way to controlled breathing. He lets his hand drop away, sticky with his seed, and he doesn’t even fight the immediate roiling guilt that drives itself through his heart.

_He’s married, you damned fool._

Not just married, but married to arguably the most beautiful and loving wife anyone could ever ask for on God’s green earth. Katara loved Aang as he deserved to be loved -- fully, unapologetically and irrevocably. And Aang loved her with every fiber of his being in return. Zuko knew it better than most because he grew up with Aang, but anyone with eyes could see it.

Zuko was the outlier, he knew that. He understood he would only ever know Aang as his best friend, as a coworker and someone he would trust with his life. But he would never know him as his lover, no matter how often he fantasized.

***

The house was a mess of flames as Zuko came rushing out with a small girl clinging to him. Her clothes and hair were singed, she was coughing, but she was otherwise unharmed. He deposits her in her parents’ arms as they reach, crying out with relief, and he turns on his heel to see Jet not far behind. He gives a short nod to indicate he found nothing on his final sweep of the property. 

“Aang?” Zuko asks, but Jet just shakes his head, his helmet clattering against his suit with the movement.

“Scooby?” The girl squeaks, a sob still in her voice.

Zuko feels his blood run cold. He turns to the child.

“Is there a family dog?” He asks as calmly as possible.

He only waits long enough to get his answer before cutting them off.

“Where was the dog?”

“He would hide under my bed when he was scared.”

“Her room is upstairs.” The father provides, understanding dawning on his face.

_Shit._

Zuko rushes back into the inferno without a second thought. Aang had probably heard the animal and run deep into the burning remains to rescue it.

When he’s at the stairs he feels his heart sink. The smoke is bad. They can’t be in here, the structure is already compromised, and if they don’t hurry they could be trapped inside.

He takes the stairs as quickly as he can, careful to avoid his boot getting stuck between crumbling boards. When he reaches the landing to the second floor, he’s grateful to see the towering silhouette of a man holding a large dog in his arms. When he comes through the smoke, close enough for Zuko to see Aang’s face, he has to swallow back all his feelings. Aang looks intense -- his brows furrowed in concentration, his arms wrapped protectively around the great dane as the animal cowers against him. When his grey eyes land on him, Zuko’s surprised Aang has the capacity to smile. It’s small, but it suggests everything is okay. There’s no time to waste, and Zuko knows which parts of the stairs are still in tact. He reaches for the dog, gathering it against his chest so its large head is resting over his shoulder and starts his descent. Aang trails him, following in his footsteps as they make their way down. 

The water dousing the flames had calmed some of the fire in the main level, but as Zuko heard the building creak around them, he knew they didn’t have long. He beelines it for the door, and it’s so close he thinks they must be home free.

The taste of victory is short lived, however. He’s just a few feet from the open door when a support beam comes crashing down from his left -- all at once, he feels the impact of another body at his back, propelling him forward. He stumbles, but miraculously keeps his footing. The dog flies out of his arms, bounding through the door to the family sitting in the back of the ambulance together. 

Zuko is in the doorway with hellish heat at his back and the sweet breeze of a spring day at his front. 

But Aang isn’t with him.

Zuko plows back inside.

“I need back up!” He shouts over the roar of the fire, signaling with his arms in case they couldn’t hear him. “Mayday!”

Aang is out cold and pinned beneath the beam. They’re so close to the exit.

Two bodies join him: Jet and Haru. Jet has already shoved the tire jack under the beam and is turning the crank, ready to hoist the weight of the beam up. Haru positions himself on Aang’s other side, ready to lift. Zuko nods, ready to pull Aang loose the moment he’s freed. 

It’s a mercifully quick process. As the beam is lifted just enough to free the body beneath, Zuko drags Aang out under his arms. He doesn’t bother with formalities as he continues to shuffle backwards and out through the door. Haru and Jet are on his heels, bursting from the doorway just as Zuko lowers Aang onto the driveway and flips him onto his back. He removes the helmet -- he’s not breathing. 

He doesn’t wait, immediately pinching Aang’s nose and breathing air into his lungs before pumping his chest. He repeats the process once, twice, and _finally_ Aang gasps, swallowing down air between sputtering breaths. A moment later Haru is there with the oxygen mask, pressing it over Aang’s nose and mouth until he can hold it there himself.

When his grey eyes focus, landing on Zuko, he lifts his other hand to his shoulder and gives him a tight squeeze. The meaning is plain. 

_Thank you._

***

They sit together in companionable silence on the rooftop terrace sipping their drinks at a high table overlooking a grey parking lot dappled with the odd tree. It wasn’t much of a view, but the rooftop was a favourite haunt of theirs and was conveniently located midway between each of their residences. 

Looking at Aang now -- showered and dressed simply in brown jeans and a burnt orange shirt, you’d never know he’d had a brush with death only hours ago. Still, there was a faraway look in his eyes that made Zuko grateful they’d been given the rest of the day off to recover.

“Hey, you alright?” Zuko asks as he puts his glass down on the table.

Aang looks like he’s summoned back from whatever place he’d gone off to, a wide smile spreading across his lips as he meets Zuko’s eyes.

“Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking how I was going to tell Katara about today.” He sighs. “It’s her worst fear -- me dying on the job. I’m wondering if I should tell her at all.”

 _It’s mine too._ Zuko thinks to himself.

“It’s part of the job description.” He says instead. “We put our lives on the line to save others. I think Katara understands that.”

Aang gives him a sideways look.

“I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”

The way Aang is looking at him is too much. The reminder is impossible to swallow.

_And I’d save you again a thousand times over._

Aang is alive and breathing, and he’s the bravest and kindest person he’s ever known. And he loves him with everything he has. If only his love were unselfish, as it should be, but the truth is that Zuko _wants_ him. 

He could no longer stay professional.

“Aang, I watched you die to save me today.” He says through the lump in his throat. “You can’t imagine how fucking hard that was.”

Because Aang had sacrificed himself, as was his nature, his duty, to save others. 

It was part of the job description.

But it was more than that, wasn’t it?

“Zuko, I saw the beam and I did what I needed to.” He takes a sip of his beer with a smirk. “Plus, you had the dog. I had no choice.”

Zuko wants to laugh, if only for Aang’s sake, but he just can’t. Instead, he reaches a hand across the table, hesitating only a moment before letting it rest over Aang’s.

“I can’t lose you.”

That’s all he says, but he knows Aang understands by the way his eyes flick from their hands up to his eyes. He knows because there have been years of unspoken tension between them. He knows because of the knowing looks they shared all through their lives, the lingering hands, the indirect confessions (all on Zuko’s part). But now, this is as direct as he can allow himself to be.

He pulls his hand away and downs the rest of his rum and coke, gesturing to the server just a couple tables away to order another.

Aang is speechless. Zuko had broken the subtle contract between them: to never say how they feel aloud. To pretend that all there is between them is brotherhood. 

***

Katara gasps at the sight of the bruises on his back, his arms and his shoulders -- still light, but beginning to darken. 

“Aang, what happened to you?” She asks, stopping mid-kiss down from his neck. “You’ve got scrapes and bruises everywhere.”

It wasn’t the first time Aang had come home with a few battle wounds from work, but these were particularly alarming.

“Had a beam fall on me.” He says, hoping that’ll be the end of it. All he wants is to fall into her arms and forget.

She moves around before him then, urging him to sit on the edge of their bed with a hand on each of his shoulders. Her eyes are kind, but stern. Years of marriage made her wise to Aang’s evasive conflict resolution.

“Honey, are you alright?” She asks gently. “You’ve been far away all evening.”

Aang pulls her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her stomach.

“I died. Zuko brought me back.” 

It’s like all the air is sucked out of the room then.

Aang rushes to continue, feeling the quickening of Katara’s heart in her chest.

“Beam came down over Zuko. I pushed him out of the way, and I was knocked out. I inhaled too much smoke. But we saved the whole family, even the dog… And Zuko saved me.”

He can hear the intake of breath fill his wife’s lungs, and the way she shudders as she exhales. Her hands are still on his shoulders, but now they’re kneading him gently. It’s a nervous habit she falls back on to settle her nerves while providing comfort at the same time. 

Finally, Aang looks up to meet the shining blue eyes above him. He’s not surprised to see them filled with tears, and he reaches up to cup her face, wiping at her eyes with his thumb.

“I’m okay, love.” He says softly. “I’m here.”

 _For how long?_ Is the question he knows hangs between them.

 _For a lifetime, if I have anything to say about it._ He provides his own answer. _Or if Zuko has anything to say about it, for that matter._

“There’s something else.”

Katara looks like she’s still not processed the first shock, and she hardly looks ready for another.

“Zuko… sort of let me know he has feelings for me.”

At this, Katara looks gobsmacked. There’s some relief in this lighter topic, though. Death was one thing, sudden confessions of forbidden love were entirely another.

“Oh my spirits, Aang, what kind of day have you had?”

Aang laughs. He can’t help himself. It’s from his belly -- loud and mirthful, because what else can he do? His laughter shakes them both until even Katara has to giggle.

“Aang, goodness, this isn’t funny.” She gasps through her tears. “You died, and Zuko confessed to you? I can’t even be angry with you for doing the thing you do best -- even though I wish I could be.”

She heaves a sigh.

“I think I know how I can make it up to you.” Aang says as he looks up at her through his eyelashes, leaning forward to kiss her stomach. He’s pleased when she shivers under his touch.

“Mm. That might work, actually.”

Gods, he loved her so much. 

He stands, noting how much further he has to dip his head to kiss her now -- when they were first married he hadn’t finished growing. It wasn’t until he turned twenty-two that he’d reached his full height, clocking in at a surprising six feet, three inches. No one expected him to get so tall, least of all himself. 

They break apart just long enough for Katara to shimmy out of her dress, leaving only a lovely matching bra and underwear. Aang may be a married man, and nowhere near new to the vision of his wife in this state of undress, but still the sight never fails to steal his breath. 

He could tell Katara would be leading their lovemaking tonight by the look in her eyes as she guides him back towards the bed, teasingly pushing him back so he can pretend to fall under the force of her hands. Katara _was_ strong though, and while Aang probably had the upper hand, Katara could hold her own in quickness and flexibility alone. He’d never want to be on the receiving end of her ire, but he certainly didn’t mind being at her mercy now.

“How do you want me?” He asks, in the way he knows his wife loves. He holds his wrists together over his chest, an invitation. Katara’s eyes flash, and she reaches for the bedside table to bring out a pair of actual cuffs. Aang can already feel the way his briefs are tenting with his arousal. 

Katara locks the cuff around one of his wrists, looping the chain around a bar in the headboard and cuffs his other wrist so he’s held fast with his hands above his head. He says nothing, smiling gently as Katara straddles his hips and moves against him. His smile slips as his eyes close, and he sighs at the contact through the thin layers of fabric between them. 

“Katara…” He breathes, unconsciously tugging at his restraints. Though he loves being at his wife’s mercy, he wishes he could touch her, to feel the warmth of her skin against his palms. To touch the softness of her hair as he runs his fingers through it. 

“Gods, I’m yours, Katara.” He gasps. This time he remembers to go easy when he struggles against his confines, pulling lightly, lest he pull the headboard free of its braces.

Katara’s eyes are sad as she looks down into his, briefly pausing the movement of her hips against him.

“Please be more careful from now on, love.” She says before dropping to capture his lips in a languid kiss. Aang can feel the care in every move she makes, in every whispered word into his mouth and in the way her fingers ghost over his skin. When she pulls back to look at him, her eyes are so full of feeling he’s not sure he can hold it all in his heart.

“Aang, I love you.”

_I couldn’t stand to lose you._

“Katara… I love you too.” His chest tightens around his heart, but he knows this is a short interlude. Katara always was a woman who followed through. From the moment the cuffs had clicked around his wrists, Aang’s fate was sealed.

She moves down his body, trailing kisses down his stomach as she does. Her hair trails after her, tickling his skin. He sighs, watching as she goes ever lower until she’s at the hem of his briefs. She looks up at him from her position and pulls the offending items down over his hips. He moves to make it easy for her, kicking them the rest of the way off when they’re down to his ankles.

He lays bare, his erection clear for her to see, and he can’t help the blush that creeps up his neck. His desire for her is naked in all the ways that count. He knows how he must be looking at her, because she lowers her eyes to his cock and licks her lips.

“You know what I like to hear, hun.” She drawls before dropping her mouth to his head, teasing his slit with the tip of her tongue. 

Oh, did he ever.

“Please, Katara…” He begs, only because he knows it’s what she wants. Though he doesn’t mind how it earns him her lips around his head. He strains against the cuffs again, snapping his head back as he groans deep in his chest.

“Ah…” He’s almost rendered unable to speak as she works her tongue down his length, playing with his sac with a hand. “Katara, use me.”

His mind is muddy with his arousal, the feeling of Katara’s mouth on him, but through his lust he remembers all the phrases he knows send her into wild pleasure.

“My body is yours. My heart is yours-” his breath hitches as Katara takes him full into her mouth, beginning to suck, fisting him at his base to stroke him in time with the bobbing of her head.

“Oh gods… I’m yours. Yours, Katara.”

It’s then that an image comes unbidden -- Zuko between his legs just as Katara is now.

The image is enough to make his eyes fly open.

“Katara.”

His tone must betray his nerves, because she stops and pulls away.

“Aang?” She asks, concern thick in her eyes.

“I… I don’t know.”

She shushes him with a finger to his lips.

“We can talk after.” She says, her eyes filled with adoration. “I’m not finished with you yet.”

Aang’s not sure he trusts himself, but as Katara divests herself of her bra and underwear, all doubt flees his mind. He sucks in a breath through his teeth as she lowers herself onto him, taking him into her wetness and begins to move. 

“Ooh, Aang…”

Her moan shoots electricity straight to his cock as she rides him, slow at first. She has her head thrown back, her hair cascading down her shoulders and her back as she whispers his name again and again. She rocks her hips almost too slowly, her pace is torture. How long had he been left wanting to come?

He almost screams when she brings both hands to play with his nipples, pinching them between her fingers as she looks down at him with her lips parted. Her eyes are clouded with lust as she takes him at her leisure, using him to touch the places inside her that only she knows. Even after years of lovemaking, even Aang didn’t know all the ways to move inside her. So Katara would take him inside herself -- making him hers while giving herself away all at once.

“You… feel incredible.” She gasps as she picks up her pace, riding him in earnest. Aang watches, hypnotized by the way her clit moves against his groin, the way her breasts sway to the rhythm of their passion. 

“Katara, I’m going to-”

“Come for me, Aang.” She orders, driving herself down onto him _hard._ “Show me that you’re mine.”

_Fuck._

They’re moving so fast that the headboard is shaking with the way Aang strains in the cuffs, his knees bent up just enough to curl his toes into the mattress as Katara fucks him. Oh gods, she fucks him.

“Katara!”

Fireworks explode behind his lids as he comes, his climax causing him to shiver from his shoulders to his toes. He feels like he’ll never stop, like he’s an endless river of love, and Katara is the ocean where he flows.

The force of his orgasm inspires his wife’s own, and she cries out above him as she grinds her clit into him, milking what’s left of his seed inside her. She falls forward at last, fighting to catch her breath as she kisses him deeply. He moves his hips, ignoring how sensitive he feels so he can hit Katara’s sweet spot while he’s still hard. 

“Aang!” she half sobs into his shoulder. “Oh fuck. I love you.”

Aang can’t speak, so he moves until he can’t anymore, until Katara is still above him. He breathes her in, waiting until he can remember how to form words.

“Please, I want to hold you.” He begs, jingling the chain of the cuffs. Katara looks up at him with a little smile and grabs the keys from the bedside dresser. When his wrists are free, he flings the cuffs to the floor and tackles his wife, gathering her to his chest as he kisses her nose, her brows, the top of her head and her lips.

They lay together for a small eternity, coming down slowly from their shared high.

“I didn’t get to go down on you.” Aang says, genuinely disappointed.

He feels Katara shudder in his arms, then she chuckles.

“Give me a few minutes to recover, and we can make that right.”

***

Aang swallows Katara’s orgasm down, lapping at her wet folds as she screams his name. He licks at her clit experimentally, teasing her until she stays his head with her hands and pulls him up. She sits up, pulling Aang’s face from between her legs so she can lace their lips together in a desperate kiss. 

“Can I treat you,” Aang asks as the kiss breaks. “To a bubble bath?”

Katara looks at him with so much love he thinks he’s sure to melt under her gaze.

“How could I say no?”

***

Katara wraps Aang’s arms around her shoulders as she snuggles into him under the bubbles and hot water of the jacuzzi. It was the only stipulation she’d had when they’d started looking at houses to buy -- a large jacuzzi tub had to be present in the master bathroom. Specifically for this purpose.

Aang nuzzles into the crook of her neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses against her soapy skin.

“You wanted to tell me something.” Katara mumbles, relaxing into his chest.

Aang pulls back and leans his weight against the edge of the tub, grateful for the jet stream massaging his lower back. 

“Remember what I said about Zuko?”

Katara laughs.

“How could I forget? I still don’t know what to think. Want to know a secret?”

Aang nods against her neck.

“Before we got married, I worried Zuko would scoop you up first.”

_Wait, what?_

“Uh, please elaborate.” 

“Aang, you’re such a sweet man. I knew Zuko had feelings for you, even if you didn’t. It was obvious to anyone who cared enough to look. And since I was in love with you, I was especially jealous of competition.”

“Oh.”

There’s an awkward silence that settles over them, only filled by the quiet hiss of the bubbles popping around them.

“He saved me.” Is all Aang says.

_I think I have feelings for him, too._

Katara is quiet for a long time, but eventually she reaches up to lace her fingers behind his neck.

“How long have we been married?” She asks, and the question catches Aang off guard.

“Eight years.” He answers confidently.

“Mm. Eight years.” She tips her head to nuzzle into his shoulder. “That’s a long time.”

_A long time for someone to pine._

“Aang, I’m… I love you. I’m a jealous woman.”

Aang wasn’t sure he liked the turn this conversation was taking.

“But I know you care for Zuko too.”

…

...

…

The warm water of the tub suddenly feels icy cold with the truth.

“I pay attention, Aang.” Katara says gently, turning in his arms so she’s facing him. “I know you love me. I do.”

Here, she pulls his knuckles to her lips. 

“I never said anything before because I’d selfishly hoped to keep you to myself.”

Aang’s sure his brain must be short-circuiting. 

“Katara, no, that’s not-”

She holds a finger to his lips.

“You don’t have to hurt yourself thinking about it now, love. Give yourself time to digest. I love you, and if it weren’t for Zuko, I wouldn’t have you here with me now.”

She leans in to kiss him then, slow and sweet and loving as she caresses the skin of his shoulders and his chest. Finally, she pulls away.

“You and Zuko have something special, and it’s different from what you and I have. They’re worlds apart, but in either case there’s love there. If you need to explore that part of your life, even if you choose to make it a part of ours, I won’t say no.”

This is all too much for Aang to process. He feels dizzy with it all -- shouldn’t this be a sort of _never in a million lifetimes_ kind of situation? 

“I think I’m feeling sick.” He says finally.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Aang tells Zuko his feelings, and they have a video call with Katara to discuss boundaries, and Aang and Zuko have their first time together.
> 
> Enjoy. <3

Aang stood leaning against his car in the lot of the dog park, Appa sitting obediently by him with his tongue lolling. He was going to need grooming soon -- the poor dog was more fur than body after a long winter. One thing Aang liked about Appa’s shaggy coat was the way it made him look that much bigger, and as an English sheep dog, he wasn’t small to begin with.

Though he was trying to stay cool, he was terrified. He’d spent the last month trying to pretend that he _hadn’t_ learned Zuko had feelings for him, and that Katara _hadn’t_ given him her blessing to pursue something with him. It had been too much to make sense of -- after eight years of marriage, and more years of friendship, he wasn’t sure he wanted to upset the pleasant balance of his life. 

Katara and Zuko were such different sides of his life, though they’d all grown up together. Katara was the person who always knew what to say to make him feel better, she was a teacher and a nurturing personality who never turned her back on those who needed help. It made sense she became a doctor, and thank goodness, because Aang’s own profession meant he often needed tending. Much to his wife’s eternal chagrin.

Zuko, on the other hand, was about taking action where he could. He was quick to make an important call at a moment’s notice, which was a skill that served him well as a firefighter. He wasn’t a fan of small talk, preferring to go straight to the heart of things with those he trusted. In a crowd, he was amiable, but quiet. To Aang, he was a dedicated ear, and a well of wisdom and good advice. Having lived a difficult childhood, Zuko had a wealth of experience to draw from which allowed him to counsel Aang through the most difficult decisions he’d had to make.

Now, Aang hoped he might draw on his wisdom again. 

Since Zuko’s quasi-confession on the rooftop, their dynamic had shifted. There was now a subtle tension between them -- the elephant in the room that begged to be addressed. If that wasn’t enough, having saved each other had only drawn them closer. It had come to the point where being in the same back room alone during their breaks was almost unbearable. The shift was to the extent that even Aang couldn’t get Zuko comfortable enough to fall into their usual easy routine. 

Aang’s brought back to the present by a gentle pull on the leash in his hand as Appa stands to greet the same man on his mind. He tries to smile casually as he waves, but he can feel his heart pick up its pace in betrayal.

“Looking good, as always.” Aang tries to keep things light. He’d made a point of complimenting Zuko’s looks since he learned the man had the incredibly unfortunate notion he wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous. Aang had always thought it strange he’d not been able to tie down a partner. He was considerate, had a wicked sense of humour once you knew him, and he was as loyal a friend you could ask for. Though he supposed that loyalty was what might be the problem.

Zuko gives a small smile back before he kneels down to give Appa some love. With Zuko at his level, Appa doesn’t hold back -- he rises to his hind legs and throws his front paws over Zuko’s shoulders to lap at his face. Aang always marvelled at the way Zuko never complained about the drool-ridden reception. He’d just laugh and wipe away the slobber with the back of his arm. 

They set off into the park together, and Aang lets Appa off his leash to bound ahead. He greets other dogs with a sniff, but never strays too far.

Being outdoors on a nice day surrounded by other happy dog owners seems to ease the awkwardness between them, and Aang is happy he can fall into comfortable chatter with Zuko again. They talk about the latest hockey games, commenting on the best plays and making fun of the worst. They talk work and they talk life, which invariably brings Aang around to the reason he invited Zuko out.

“Zuko.” He starts, wanting him to know that he’s about to take their conversation somewhere serious. “I need to talk to you.”

He mentally kicks himself for the wording when he notices the flex of his friend’s jaw. 

“Sure. What’s on your mind?” Aang can hear the forced calm in his tone.

He's not sure how to open the subject in a roundabout way, which would have been his preferred approach. He sighs, knowing he’ll have to dive right in. At least he'd already put some thought into how he would tell Zuko in a way that might spare him a heart attack.

He leads them down by the river to a little shaded area off the path where he stops. Once he's sure they have some privacy, he reaches for Zuko’s wrist to curl his fingers around it. Seeing Zuko tense at the contact, he immediately lets go.

“Zuko, I have feelings for you.” He says quietly. “And before you think I’m breaking my vows to Katara, she’s the one who put me up to this.”

It’s hard to keep up with all the emotions that whip across Zuko’s face. Aang hopes the look on his own face reflects how much he means the words. He's so lightheaded he feels like he might lift off and float away. 

He’s not expecting the way Zuko’s eyes begin to shine with moisture.

“Zuko, I… I’m not playing a prank. I mean it. After you brought me back, after what you said to me that day… I talked to Katara, and she wasn’t even surprised. This whole month we’ve talked, and she encouraged me to be honest with you.” 

“Aang.”

It’s a warning. He can hear it loud and clear.

“Zuko, I’m telling you this to let you know the option is there. The choice is yours. I would never expect to be the one to make this decision for you. You’re my best friend, and there’s nothing in this world that could change that. We can just talk this through-”

He’s cut off abruptly by a hot mouth on his. He squeezes his eyes shut and lets Zuko pull him close. The warmth of one hand on his arm and the other wrapped around the back of his neck assault his senses.

He can hear the way Zuko’s breathing has gone ragged, and he wraps his arms around his shoulders, dipping his head to fit their lips together more comfortably.

“I’ve got you.” He whispers against his lips. “Zuko. I’ve got you.”

“Aang. This… I don’t know that you understand.” His voice is barely there. 

Aang moves his hand in gentle circles over Zuko’s lower back, pulling him into a hug.

“I think I’m beginning to.”

Being married to Katara kept Aang’s heart grounded. He’d never really wondered what Zuko might taste like or feel like. He’d known long ago that he loved him, that he’d do anything for him. It was only now that he allowed himself to want him.

Zuko steps back from the embrace, letting his hands fall to his sides.

“Do you want to get out of here?” He asks.

Aang feels the blush creep up his neck and into his face before he gives a quick nod.

“I’m free all night.”

He’s pleased by the way Zuko turns on his heel and jerks his chin in a gesture that _demands_ Aang get his ass in gear and follow.

***

_Are you sure about this, love?_

Aang hits send on the text and lets himself sink into the driver’s seat. He still hadn’t left the parking lot.

A moment later, his phone vibrates in his palm.

 **Katara:** _I am. The only rule I have for now is that we go out on a romantic date this weekend. I haven’t seen you in a suit in far too long, and I want to be the one to get you out of it by the end of the night. Also, we still have movie night tomorrow._

Aang bites his lip against his smile. Fancy date nights were a favourite of his -- an excuse to dress his best and see Katara glowing with beauty. As he thinks it, his heart sinks.

 **Aang:** _Isn’t this wrong? I mean, I’m married to you. I love you. I can’t just do this._

 **_Katara:_ ** _Love, it’s your choice. I’ve already told you how I feel about it. I’m comfortable with Zuko being the exception to the rule because I trust him, and I trust you. You already loved each other. You can decide how you want to navigate that. If you end up sleeping with him, and if it makes you happy, then I’m supportive. Just, maybe don’t tell me how much you enjoy it._

Apprehension still cloys at him, no matter how confident her reassurance.

 **Aang:** _I think you and Zuko should talk. We need to establish more ground rules around this thing. Do you mind if we have a call in a few? I’m heading to Zuko’s pretty immediately, and I would feel a lot better if we all had a conversation before moving any further._

 **Katara:** _Of course! Give me a call when you’re there._

Heaving a sigh of relief, Aang puts his phone down and turns his key in the ignition to start the drive to Zuko’s townhouse with Appa happily smiling into the wind through the open passenger window.. 

***

As Zuko enters his home from the garage, he’s seized by the sudden raw and inexplicable nerves that make him want to throw up. He’d _kissed_ Aang. He was maybe… just maybe, going to _have sex_ with him _tonight. In his bed._

“Fuck.” 

He felt the panic attack coming on, the familiar pressure rising to his head like a helium balloon, making his vision swim. He leans his back against the wall and closes his eyes, willing himself to breathe.

He wanted it to be simple. As simple as knowing he loved Aang, and Aang, maybe, loved him in return. Of course, there was everything else hanging in the balance. Aang’s marriage to Katara and the lifelong friendship he and Aang had fostered together. Was it worth risking it all just for this? There were millions of people out there Zuko could meet. Surely he’d find someone he could call his own who didn’t come with so many strings.

He knew he could. Of course. The problem was that he didn’t _want_ anyone else. He wanted Aang.

He jolts when he hears a gentle knock. It’s a formality -- Aang has his own key, and he lets himself in.

“Hello.” He calls into the house, and Zuko hears the door click shut along with the shuffle of Aang removing his shoes.

“In the kitchen.” Zuko replies, and after swallowing down some of his anxiety, he moves to fill the electric kettle with water. He focuses on the backyard through the kitchen window, grateful for the distraction. It’s still spring, and the day isn’t too hot for some jasmine tea.

Aang pads into the kitchen and takes a seat at the high table.

“Can I help?” He asks.

“I’m just boiling water. Help yourself to an apple if you like.” Here, he grabs one from the fruit basket on the counter and tosses it back over his shoulder. Aang catches it with a grin.

“Thanks.”

He hears the satisfying crunch of the first bite and moves to the table to join him. Before taking his own seat, he leans over Aang, taking advantage of the rare opportunity to stand over him (the man was too damn tall).

“Aang, can I…?” He asks.

His grey eyes are so expressive. Emotions flit in them -- landing on something like endearment. He puts the apple down and tilts his head back for Zuko to kiss him again. This time Zuko allows himself to explore as he cups the face beneath his own. Their lips move together like they’d done this a thousand times before. Aang’s lips are soft and pliant under his, encouraging Zuko to lead as he sighs, and his sweet breath ghosts over his face. 

They pull apart, and it takes every ounce of self-control Zuko has. Desire has started to coil in his belly, his body reacting without his consent. All the nights of fantasizing about having Aang come clear and sharp into his mind, but this time he won’t have to imagine.

He quickly turns back to the kettle.

_Dead kittens. Dead kittens._

It was a morose solution, but it worked. He felt some of the heat fade in his stomach and brought out two mugs from the cabinet in the pretense of normalcy.

“Chocolate macaroon for you?” He asks. He’d kept a jar of the loose leaf blend specifically for Aang, knowing it was his favourite.

Aang snaps out of his own trance.

“Oh, yeah. You know it.”

Once both mugs are poured and the tea is steeped, Zuko finally joins Aang at the table.

“Um, Zuko, would you mind if we had a call with Katara? Just to go over things? I realize it might feel awkward, but I think you two should talk to each other. I don’t want to be in the middle making incorrect guesses for each of you.”

The thought hadn’t really occurred to him, but with Aang having suggested it, he feels a wave of relief wash over him. If Aang wanted him to talk to Katara, and Katara wanted to talk to him, then he wasn’t just the side piece. He could be an equal in this relationship.

“Of course.”

Aang brings out his phone and makes a video call, holding the screen up between them. It only rings once before Katara’s face appears.

“Hello.” She greets cheerily. She’s bare-faced with her hair tied in a knot over her head, wearing a loose-fitted tee. She looks so cozy, Zuko actually envies her.

“Hi. So… You want to share your husband with me.” He says by way of his own greeting, hoping to ease some of his nerves. To his delight, Katara giggles.

“Only with you. Otherwise he’s off-limits.”

Aang chuckles. “Guys, I’m right here.”

Zuko gives him a smirk, and he wants to kiss him again, but he keeps all of himself to himself with Katara on screen.

“In all seriousness, I am glad we’re talking.” He says. “I want to make sure you’re alright with this.”

Katara nods. “I am, and it’s not just about me. Aang and I have talked about it the last month, and he’s been a lot more concerned than I have.”

Here, they both look at said person.

“I just care about both of you, and I don’t want to hurt either of you.” He pauses, a grave expression coming over his face. “Or worse, lose you.” 

Zuko can’t help the way his blood turns syrupy in his veins.

“Katara, you’re his wife. What are your boundaries?”

She thinks a moment.

“I really don’t mind if you two spend time alone. I suppose the question is how we navigate times when we’re all together. Who holds who’s hand and so on. We may need to play that by ear.”

“I have two hands and two shoulders.” Aang adds half-jokingly. “One for each of you. I don’t really see the problem.”

Zuko blushes at the image as Katara bursts out laughing.

“Now you’re in the spirit, hun.”

“So… Um, _sleep overs?”_ Zuko ventures, feeling ridiculous for skirting the issue of sex.

“Oh my, of course. That goes without saying.” Katara replies with a playful roll of her eyes. “Of course, I need the love of my life to spend his nights with me too.”

The smile on Aang’s face is so goofy with love that he can’t help but laugh.

“Anything else?”

Katara pauses for a moment, then shakes her head.

“Nothing I can think of for now. I actually need to get ready to meet Toph for dinner, so I’m going to let you go. You two have _fun._ ” She has a glint in her eyes as she gives them a wink. 

“Have fun, sweetie. Love you.”

They hang up, and Aang puts away his phone.

“I just thought of this…” Zuko watches as Aang’s face turns a surprisingly bright shade of red. “But, uh, how do two men… you know?”

Zuko almost falls off his chair with how hard he begins to laugh. He’s doubled over with tears in his eyes because _of course_ Aang wouldn’t know. Of course he hadn’t ventured into the world of gay porn or erotica. 

He finally composes himself, wiping the tears from his eyes as he speaks.

“I could explain it to you, but it’s not exactly sexy. Better if I show you.”

Having spoken with Katara, all Zuko’s reservations had evaporated along with his panic. In its place was an impatient _need._

“You have until you finish your tea, Aang.” He says with a passion that surprises even himself. 

He watches in dumbstruck awe as Aang chugs the last of it (it was still steaming hot), and proceeds to cough violently as it goes down.

“That-” he rasps, “was a mistake.”

Swiping up the mug, Zuko fills it halfway with cool water and pushes it into Aang’s hands with a fond smile. He could only be flattered by his eagerness. 

“Okay, my throat might have some degree of burn on it, but I promise that won’t stop me from giving you the blow job of your life.”

…

Zuko’s sure he’s about to pass out.

He must have some look on his face, because Aang is suddenly shy.

“Ah, sorry. Too soon?”

“Yes. I mean, no. Ugh. Aang, I just…” His shoulders fall as he searches helplessly for the right words. “This is more than just sex for me. Is that… going to be alright?”

The air in the room takes on an entirely different feeling. Where it was playful before, it was solemn now. Warm grey eyes regard him with unguarded fondness, and Aang stands, holding out his hand for Zuko to take. He does, and Aang pulls him into his arms again, resting their foreheads together.

“I’ll hold your heart if you trust me with it. I know I trust you with mine.”

Zuko lets out the breath he didn’t know he was holding and tips his head back to slant his mouth over Aang’s for the _third_ time in the last couple hours. It should be impossible for life to change as he knew it in just the span of a moment. This time the kiss is more heated, and again Aang allows him to lead. 

_You’re in control here. Your heart, your rules._

When Aang opens to him, Zuko can’t fight the sound he makes as he tastes Aang’s mouth on his tongue. It’s like everything else melts away around him, a blurred world beyond and he and Aang in sharp focus in the fore. Right now it’s all he knows. 

“Zuko.”

The _way_ Aang says his name sends a shiver down his spine. The kitchen was no longer the place he wanted to be.

He extricates himself from where he’s glued to Aang’s chest and leads him upstairs by his wrist. They sneak away quietly, careful not to wake Appa snoring from the couch in the living room.

When they reach his bedroom, he doesn’t hesitate to walk backwards toward his bed until he’s falling onto it and pulling Aang over him. Aang’s blush is so incredibly charming that Zuko can’t help the lopsided grin that spreads across his face. 

“I can’t even count the number of times I’ve imagined being like this with you.” He confides, feeling heat rise to his own cheeks. 

Aang doesn’t seem to know how to respond to that, but the way he smiles reaches his eyes, making them crinkle at their corners.

“You don’t have to imagine anymore.” He whispers, and Zuko’s not sure what to do when Aang lowers his lips to his jaw, trailing open-mouthed kisses down his neck and over his shirt. 

“Oh, Aang…” He sighs, noting with embarrassment how his jeans tent with his arousal. He bites his lip as Aang kneels between his legs and reaches for his belt to unbuckle it. The look in his eyes says he intends to deliver on his promise.

With a little difficulty, Aang manages to undo the button and zipper on Zuko’s jeans, pulling them down. 

“Your foot’s stuck in the leg,” Aang laughs. “So much for the mood.”

Zuko kicks his jeans off the rest of the way with Aang’s help until finally he’s free. He lays in his boxers and his shirt feeling more exposed than his state of undress would warrant.

Whatever fears Aang may have about a ruined mood are completely lost on Zuko. He’d never been more _in the mood_ in his life. 

Then Aang plays at the hem of his briefs, and he feels like he’s being strangled by the panicked anticipation that assaults him. Aang stops moving.

“Are you okay?”

_No, I’m not okay. I’ve been wanting this for ten years and change, thinking it was only ever going to be a fantasy, but here you are between my legs and oh my Christ. Of course I’m not okay._

He sits up, letting his face fall into his palms. 

“I’m not. I don’t know if I ever will be.” He lets his hands drop to Aang’s shoulders, looking him square in the eyes. “This is real. You’re really here. This is… We… We’re _really_ doing this.”

Aang reaches a hand up to brush the hair out of his eyes, then tucks it off to the side of his face. 

“I’m really here. We’re really doing this.” He assures gently. “This is real.”

He brushes the fingers of his other hand down Zuko’s side until he comes to his hip before dancing his fingers over the hem of his boxers, and there he stops.

“Zuko… can I touch you?”

He swallows, unable to speak, and gives a small nod. Aang locks eyes with him as he lets his hand wrap around Zuko’s erection through the fabric of his boxers, and his mouth drops open in the most humiliating moan he’d ever had the misfortune of making. Aang, for his part, looks devilishly delighted by the sound, and it only encourages him to continue his ministrations. 

“Aaaang… ng.”

He groans low in his throat, and he knows it sounds almost like a growl. He leans back on his hands, curling his fingers into the duvet until the skin on his knuckles is stretched tight over the bone.

“Fuck. Zuko. If you keep that up, I don’t know that I’m going to last.”

Zuko can barely think coherently, but he somehow manages to retort, “It’s _my_ cock in _your_ hand.” He gasps. “Remember?”

Aang smirks at his obscenity, twisting his wrist at _just that angle_ , his hand tightening around Zuko’s length in a series of expert strokes. 

“Ung… Aang! Ah... You’re good at that.”

“Just applying what I know about my own anatomy.”

 _Oh fucking hell._ Now he’s imagining Aang jerking himself off, and if that’s not the hottest goddamn thing…

“You do this to yourself?” He breathes.

Aang shrugs. “When Katara isn’t available.”

“You’ll have to show me sometime.” He manages through his own strained smirk.

Aang quirks a brow at him. “Like this?”

_Oh gods…_

Zuko can’t breathe as he watches Aang unzip himself with deft fingers, shimmying the hem of his jeans down over his hips, pulling his boxers down with them without a care. Zuko’s sure he’s about to combust when he sees Aang’s hard cock bob free, but then his hand is around himself, his head snapping back as he works them both in time.

“Fuck. Zuko.”

_Fuck indeed._

He’s moaning so openly he thinks he must be someone else. He’d never been so vocal in the bedroom before. _But it’s Aang who’s fucking you with his hand this time._

But soon Aang's hand is replaced with his _fucking incredibly hot_ mouth, and Zuko's not sure when he dipped his head and pulled down his briefs, but _gods above, his cock was in Aang's mouth._

He watches, transfixed, as Aang bobs his head, massaging his length with his tongue and sucking on his head. _Fuck._ His tongue was in his slit, his hand wrapped around his base and stroking him.

“Aaaah… Fuck, Aang. _I want you._ ”

Through lidded eyes, Aang looks up at him as he continues to indeed give him the best blow job of his life. He finally pulls away, wiping his mouth on the back of his arm.

“Going to show me how?” 

Bringing both of his hands down to cup Aang’s face, he crashes their lips together. This time he invites Aang to explore him with his own tongue. Every sensation feels heightened a million fold by the force of his emotions threatening to explode out of chest. He might just come from kissing at this rate. Aang’s tongue is so deep into his mouth he doesn’t know where his mouth ends and Aang's begins. 

He’s pleased when Aang pushes him down to climb over him again, grinding their erections against each other. Zuko moans again, but this time Aang moans with him as they claw at each other desperately. 

“Zuko. _Fuck me_.”

Zuko’s head is spinning with how quickly each of his long-imagined fantasies is becoming reality. Too fast for him to process.

“Clothes off. Now.” He demands, and Aang strips his shirt off and pulls off his jeans and boxers the rest of the way. When they’re both naked as the day they were born, Zuko guides Aang to lay on his bed and sits between his legs as he admires every inch of him he’d yet to lay eyes on.

“Aang, I mean this, you’re beautiful.”

Dark crimson crosses Aang’s cheeks as he smiles a little. “You’re one to say so.” Here, he sweeps his hand down over the expanse of Zuko’s muscled stomach.

“Thanks.” He mutters before dropping his lips to Aang’s in prelude to what he’s about to do next.

***

The way Zuko touches him is like he’s never been touched before.

It’s strange, he thinks, how different it feels to have the shape of Zuko against him -- all hard muscle under smooth skin, save for his scars. Aang had only known the feeling of soft curves, thighs and breasts until now. 

He sighs as he lets Zuko take control. He’s not used to feeling so distinctly overpowered in the bedroom. Of course he knew what it was to be submissive, but with Zuko above him, he could only think how his best friend, and now, his lover, had all the power in the world over him. 

“Zuko…” He moans as he feels hot lips trailing kisses over his chest, stopping over a nipple to nip, then suck.

“ _Ah!”_

Zuko was in no hurry as he explored all his bare skin. Even as he expertly swirls his tongue around the nib of Aang’s nipple, his hands move to caress him. Warm fingers ghost over his thighs and up over his sides to his forearms. Aang can feel the way Zuko loves him, and it breaks his heart. He knew all too well what it was to be hopelessly devoted to someone, and Zuko… He’d denied himself for years out of love and respect.

Zuko gives a final, playful lick before moving across Aang’s chest to close his mouth over his other nipple. 

He can barely breathe through the way his heart is hammering in his chest, like he’d been sprinting. 

With his eyes closed, he hears Zuko fumbling with the bedside drawer. He cracks an eye open, wondering why he's suddenly pulled away. His answer is Zuko holding a bottle of lubricant. Aang watches wide-eyed as he pours it into his right hand, ensuring all his fingers are generously coated before replacing the bottle on the nightstand.

Once done, Zuko lowers himself, kissing Aang's brow.

“This might not feel great at first.” He says, and Aang tenses when he feels a lubricated finger probing his entrance.

“I trust you.”

_Oh._

“Ah.” He manages. “That’s… really strange.”

Zuko smiles down at him before kissing him again. Every time they’ve kissed has had its own flavour and emotion tied to it, and Aang marvels at how different each of them have been already. This kiss is reassuring and seductive, with Zuko’s tongue in his mouth, massaging him, tasting him and willing him to relax as his finger works inside him. He shudders as Zuko presses up against a part of him that sends an explosion of pleasure through his entire body.

“Haaah… Zuko. Oh gods. Touch me there.”

And he does, but not before adding a second finger. Zuko is careful, moving slowly to work him open. Aang can feel the way he spreads his fingers inside him, taking the opportunity to drive him wild by brushing against his prostate.

They repeat this dance for what feels like far too long, until Zuko has three fingers inside him, and Aang finds himself begging.

“Zuko, please…” He rasps. “I want, ah! I want to feel you-” He’s cut off as he inhales sharply through his teeth, and then Zuko’s pulling his hand away as he smiles. He reaches for the bottle of lube again, but this time he uses it to slick his cock. Aang halfway fears he might come just from seeing him in all his glory. He allows himself to stare at every part of Zuko he’d never seen before. The deep v of his stomach, the strength of his hips, and his length that’s rock-hard in his hand as he ensures he’s covered before letting himself go. 

As Zuko’s hands alight on his hips, Aang feels himself shudder. Zuko’s eyes are soft as he leans forward to kiss him, pulling Aang’s legs apart and pushing against his entrance.

Aang can’t even begin to understand all the chemical reactions happening in his brain as Zuko penetrates him slowly. He’s careful, moving gently to allow Aang to adjust.

"Haaaah..." _Oh gods._ Zuko's cock was _inside_ him.

“Are you okay?” Zuko whispers against his lips. 

Aang nods dumbly as he clings to Zuko’s arms to steady himself. The feeling was so intense, and it wasn't just that he was taking a foreign object up his rear. The electricity he feels between him and his now lover is palpable as Zuko takes him. He moves slowly, rolling his hips gently. The way he was looking at Aang made him shy; tenderness and longing and elation all pooled together in his amber eyes. Aang could only sigh and gasp as Zuko moved, each roll of his hips carefully moving deeper. 

Time stops existing until Zuko suddenly stops moving, and it's only then Aang realizes he's seated to his hilt inside him. He screws his eyes shut and bites his tongue, feeling his walls adjusting to Zuko’s width. 

"Are you okay, Aang?" he asks quietly, leaning forward on his arms. His face is flushed, his expression one of tormented desire; but he remains still, considerate of Aang's first time.

Aang for his part, was dizzy with emotion -- his body and his mind reacting simultaneously to the overwhelming of his senses. Of course he'd anticipated that sleeping with Zuko would be amazing, but he hadn't accounted for the way his heart might tear out of his chest and leave him to die.

_Zuko._

Managing a small nod, Aang smile is strained. "Just takes a bit of adjustment. Hurts a bit."

"I can stop," Zuko says, shifting to pull out. Aang stays him by his shoulders and shakes his head.

"No, it's alright. Keep moving, just go slow."

Zuko smiles down at him with such adoration that Aang feels his heart speed up in his chest, and he's relieved when Zuko begins to move once more. He gasps when Zuko hits his sweet spot, biting down on his lip and digging his fingers into his lover's shoulders.

“Breathe, Aang.” Zuko pulls back to say this in his ear before trailing kisses down his neck and over his shoulder.

“Ah!” He cries as Zuko take a painstakingly slow thrust, seating himself deep within Aang's walls. “Zuko, oh god.”

Zuko moves between his legs as he kisses him, and Aang freezes when he hears the quietest whisper.

“I love you.”

If Zuko notices, he does nothing to betray the fact as he continues to move inside him. Finally, his body stops protesting the intrusion, allowing Zuko to move inside him more easily, and giving way to a flood of pleasure.

He's grateful he can focus his attention on Zuko at last, because _his face, oh spirits._ His lips were parted, his brow knitting; Zuko was _gone._ He was simply undone, and Aang couldn't believe there was a version of reality where he would never have seen the expression, and much less because of him.

And then Zuko _moaned_ — starting as a low, throaty growl, then turning high and thin.

" _Aang..._ You feel amazing."

The praise made him want to dance, instead he rolls his hips to meet Zuko thrust for thrust, encouraging him to pick up his pace. This earns him a surprised look, joined a moment later by the dawning comprehension of a smile.

"Please Zuko," Aang begs quietly. "I want everything you can give me."

Zuko chokes on another moan at his words, then he begins to move again, more desperately now. Aang bends his knees, spreading his legs as far as he can to pull Zuko down to kiss him as he's fucked. He can feel the way Zuko's heart hammers in his chest as he moves against him, hear the way his breath catches with every thrust. 

"Zuko, I'm close," Aang breathes against his lips, and Zuko groans.

"Me too."

That's when Zuko starts to move in earnest, and the kiss breaks in light of their new pace. Aang watches in dumbfounded awe as Zuko leans back to sit on his heels, pulling Aang’s legs around his hips and driving himself deep, hitting a place inside Aang he didn’t know existed.

“ZUKO! Oh christ, Zuko, yes. Fuck me harder.”

It’s the last thing he ever expected to hear out of his mouth, but damn if it isn’t the hottest thing he’s ever said.

“Harder. Zuko. Fuck me like you want.”

_Because you've waited long enough._

He’s rewarded with Zuko’s loud growl just as he plows him deep and hard, just once.

Aang screams — loud and ecstatic, moaning obscenely as Zuko does it again, hitting his prostate with a vengeance. And again, making him feel bruised on the inside -- Zuko’s cock aimed expertly at his sweet spot.

“Zuko, ah, _yes_. Gods. Take me.”

The vision that Zuko is above him is nothing short of a dream. His brows are knitted in concentration, his skin glowing with just the barest sheen of a thin layer of sweat, his eyes… His eyes are like golden honey, and they’re soft, melting down into his own. It’s hard to reconcile how gentle Zuko’s eyes are while his body moves mercilessly against and inside him. Aang thinks the words, then is surprised to find himself saying them aloud.

“I love you, too.” 

He’s not sure what to do when Zuko’s eyes well with tears, but he reaches for his wrists to pull him down again, spreading his legs to let Zuko settle against his chest.

“I want you close. Come for me, Zuko.” He wraps his arms around his back, willing him to seek his release inside him. “I’ve got you.”

He feels Zuko reach between them then, wrapping a hand around his cock and _oh my god his hand._

“You feel incredible, Zuko. Your cock. Gods. Your hand.”

“Aang.” Is all Zuko can manage, in just the ghost of a murmur. 

***

With Aang’s cock in his hand and burying himself deep inside his walls, Zuko is only a few breaths away from coming. Aang is a vision beneath him, lips parted, grey eyes lidded, face hopelessly flushed. 

“Zuko, I love you.” 

And then he’s keening beneath him, his hot seed spilling bountifully over Zuko’s hand. He goes to slow the pace of his thrusts, but Aang shakes his head.

“Zuko. Keep moving, make love to me.”

Aang’s voice is hypnotic as he urges Zuko gently.

“I want you to come for me.” He’s smiling now, his eyes shining like a creek bed on a summer’s day. “Ah, Zuko. Yes. _Just like that_ \-- I want you to feel as incredible as I do. Come inside me.”

Aang's eyes are so full of kindness, the way they always were when he looked at him. The way that made Zuko fall for Aang in the first place. He watches as his eyes roll back into his head, his mouth dropping open in a silent moan as Zuko continues to thrust deep inside Aang's tight heat, their bodies fitting together like they're two pieces of a whole.

When Aang whimpers in oversensitive ecstasy, Zuko sees stars. He almost sobs from the intensity of his orgasm, momentarily blinded as he comes, riding his pleasure through Aang’s guidance. The reassuring tones of his honey-sweet voice and the warmth of his arms around his back as Zuko shudders, moaning as he empties himself into Aang’s walls.

He hears Aang’s ragged breathing beneath him, and Zuko collapses on him chasing his own breath, his face streaked with tears he then wipes on Aang’s shoulder.

The air is so charged it’s like they’re still making love, but they lay catching each other as they come down.

“Aang.” His voice is just a tick short of a plea. “Oh Aang.”

He kisses him, deep, desperate and dizzy.

“Aang.” He couldn’t stop saying his name. “I love you.”

Aang surges up to kiss him again, but this time he leads their lips in a slow ballad. It’s sweet and gentle, and Zuko sighs as he feels Aang carding his fingers through his hair.

“I love you, too.”

When they part, Zuko pulls out and holds himself above his lover with a wide smile.

“Shower?” He asks, a hair short of giddy.

Aang laughs breathily beneath him, and it only makes his heart grow bigger still.

“I don’t remember the last time I saw you this happy,” he says as he cups Zuko’s face. “It’s a good look on you.”

Zuko smiles down at him before rising, pulling Aang up by his wrists.

“Guess you’ll have to come around to keep me looking my best.”

Aang snorts.

“Excuse me, where did this smooth talker come from? Who are you, and what have you done with my tragically awkward best friend?”

Zuko smirks as he tugs Aang into the shower with him and cages him against the wall.

“I locked this talent away to avoid seducing you while you were in monogamous wedlock,” he says, purposely waxing wordy. “But things have changed.”

Here, Zuko grins devilishly and kisses Aang again.

“Yes, things _have_ changed,” Aang agrees. “So much for keeping things professional.”

Zuko almost purrs as Aang uses the sponge to wash him down, spending the extra time to massage his shoulders as he does. He lets himself lean his weight against his chest as he closes his eyes, and Aang wraps his arms around him as they leisurely allow the water to rinse away the soap on their skin.

“Thank you,” Aang whispers in his ear from behind. “For saving me last month. And for tonight.”

Zuko’s heart sings as he melts into Aang’s arms.

“I would save you a million times over,” he says as he turns to face his lover. “As for tonight, don’t thank me. Tonight wasn’t a favour. Tonight was a promise. I’m always yours, Aang.”

Aang is speechless, his expression not knowing how to settle, jumping between joy and _oh god what do I even say to that?_

Instead, he just pulls Zuko close to hold him again. And it’s the same way he holds him minutes later as they fall asleep together, lulled by the sound of each other’s gentle breathing.


End file.
